1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems adapted to Bluetooth technology. More particularly, the present invention relates to a Bluetooth communication method and system that enables one Bluetooth device to rapidly connect to another Bluetooth device via Bluetooth communication, using an audio signal, and also enables them to transmit data to each other via Bluetooth communication.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the rapid development of information and communication technology and semiconductor technology, the use of various types of mobile devices has increased. Mobile devices employ mobile convergence to provide additional services provided by other types of mobile systems as well as their traditional services. For example, mobile devices include their usual communication functions such as a voice calling or a message transmission, and additional functions as well, such as a TV viewing function (e.g., mobile broadcasting, such as Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB), Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB), etc.,), an audio playback function (e.g., MPEG Audio Layer 3 (MP3)), a photographing function, an Internet function, a short-range wireless communication function, etc.
Short-range wireless communication is a type of communication that enables computers, mobile devices, electric home appliances, etc., located in a relatively short range, to wirelessly connect to each other and enables them to perform bi-directional communication with each other. Examples of short-range wireless communication include ZigBee, Infrared communication, Bluetooth, etc. Bluetooth enables electronic devices to exchange data, such as voice data, etc., in a globally unlicensed Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) 2.45 GHz short-range Radio Frequency (RF) band.
A device supporting a Bluetooth function, hereinafter called a Bluetooth device, must perform a pairing process to establish a communication channel with another Bluetooth device. That is, the Bluetooth device broadcasts an Inquiry Message to peripheral Bluetooth devices, via the Bluetooth antenna. When peripheral Bluetooth devices receive the Inquiry Message, they broadcast Inquiry Response Messages responding to the Inquiry Message to the Bluetooth device that broadcast the Inquiry Message, respectively. The Bluetooth device receives the Inquiry Response Messages from the peripheral Bluetooth devices. The Inquiry Response Message includes authentication information (e.g., the unique address of a Bluetooth device, (i.e., BD_ADDR)) required to establish a Bluetooth communication channel. After that, the Bluetooth device transmits a Name Request message to the searched peripheral Bluetooth devices and receives device names therefrom. The Bluetooth device displays the unique addresses and the device names of the searched peripheral Bluetooth devices on a display unit. When the user chooses one of the peripheral Bluetooth devices displayed on the display unit, the Bluetooth device establishes a Bluetooth communication channel with the selected Bluetooth device, and transmits data thereto. However, this conventional Bluetooth communication method is complicated, so the users feel inconvenienced. In addition, the conventional Bluetooth communication system is disadvantageous to enable a Bluetooth device to broadcast an Inquiry message for a certain period of time in order to search for peripheral Bluetooth devices, which requires a great deal of time to establish the connection of Bluetooth communication therebetween.